What to expect
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May or may not be advised to take birth control pills.
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Complete transvaginal ultrasound within the first 2~3 days of the menstrual cycle.
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Take fertility drugs such as Clomiphene (Clomid), Letrozole (Femara), or Gonadotropins for around 10 days.
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Be monitored with transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests for the development of the follicles to decide when to trigger for Egg Retrieval.
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Undergo egg retrieval, which is guided by transvaginal ultrasound under IV sedation.
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Semen will be collected.
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Fertilization with sperm on the day of egg retrieval.
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Embryo will be transferred on days 3~5 and/or freeze the embryos for later use.
Who needs this?
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Irregular ovulation (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS))
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Diminished ovarian reserve : woman’s egg count is lower than expected for age
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Male factor infertility
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LGBTQ intended parents
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Endometriosis
Advantages
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Highly effective at treating infertility.
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IVF with PGT has a 70~80% success rate.
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Quickest route to pregnancy.
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Increase your chances of having a healthy baby.
More info
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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): direct injection of a single sperm into a mature egg.
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Assisted Hatching: making it easier for the embryo to “hatch” out of its shell, which is necessary for implantation to occur.
Q&A
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What is ovarian reserve?Ovarian reserve is the number of eggs left in the female. A woman makes all the eggs she will ever have before she is born, about 6 million eggs. Then at birth only 1 million is left because the eggs have already died. By puberty only 500,000 eggs are left. The egg count is constantly decreasing until menopause around age 52 when there are no more eggs left.
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What are fallopian tubes?Fallopian tubes are where the sperm and the egg meet. If the tubes are blocked, the eggs are on one side and the sperm on the other side. They cannot meet and pregnancy cannot occur.
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What is third party reproduction?Third party reproduction is when an outside person is involved to help build your family by either donating sperm, egg, or uterus to carry the pregnancy.
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How long does fertility testing take?Basic fertility testing for the woman will take 2 visits over 7-10 days at the beginning of the menstrual cycle.
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Is fertility testing covered by insurance?Some, but not all insurance cover fertility testing.
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Is it a painful process?Egg count testing is a vaginal ultrasound and blood draw. Patient’s experience minimal discomfort with both procedures. Uterine testing requires insertion of a catheter into the uterine cavity and the uterine cavity is distended with fluid. Insertion of the catheter and uterine distension can cause some cramping equivalent to menstrual cramping. Fallopian tube testing requires insertion of the catheter into the uterine cavity, distension of the uterus with fluid, then the filling and spilling of the fluid from the fallopian tubes. This procedure is usually quick with minimal pain if the fallopian tubes are open, but can also cause significant cramping and discomfort if the tubes are blocked.
